Bonita Lakes Mall officials are seeking the public's help in their effort to come up with a plan to address the issue of unsupervised teens and the Meridian/Lauderdale county NAACP say that want to help.

During Tuesday's City Council meeting, local NAACP members charged the council to help come up with a proactive plan. Weekends are the main concern. NAACP members say with school being out and a lack of teen-based activities to chose from, there's really not an option for teens, other than to hang out at the mall.

"And you talk about juvenile crime. Well what would you do? You're not being instructed on things during the summer. There's no academic programs going on to help you advance your learning abilities when you return back to school. There's no athletic programs that are right in your neighborhood that you can be a part of," NAACP Youth Chair Milton Johnson said.

NAACP members say with only a month remaining before school starts, their proposed plan may not go into effect this summer. But they say City officials can start brainstorming now.

NAACP member Randall Jennings says he understands Bonita Lakes Mall officials concerns about this issue interfering with business. So he proposes utilizing resources to provide employment opportunities for teens.

"We can compile a pretty good piece of resources where we can employ a lot of these youth to work back into the community, not only in a situation where we are keeping them structured, but they can also become their overall supervisors," NAACP Education Chair Randall Jennings said.

"I don't know the solution. I wish i did know the solution. I do know that parents are responsible for children. And children are responsible to their parents," Meridian Councilman Dr. George Thomas said.

Bonita Lakes Mall officials say no plan has been finalized yet. But they are in the process of implementing one soon.